Chapter 11: Shrimp Shells and Second Chances

It wasn’t until my parents left that I finally breathed a sigh of relief. A stone on my heart had been lifted. I opened the bedroom door, and Natalie crashed into my arms like a frightened deer.

Her mascara streaked down her cheeks, and her hands shook as she gripped my shirt. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, “I didn’t mean to—”

“Sorry. It’s all my fault, making you argue with your parents.”

I pinched her tear-stained cheek and comforted her. “It’s my fault. I made you suffer.”

I took Natalie to the high-end restaurant she’d always wanted to try. One meal cost a thousand bucks. She smiled through her tears like a child. So easy to please. During the meal, I handed her the cut steak, and put on gloves to peel shrimp for her.

The waiter looked impressed as I fumbled with the shrimp, juice running down my fingers. Natalie giggled, her mood brightening with each bite. The city lights sparkled outside, and for a moment, it felt like nothing could touch us.

She ate and asked, “Ben, I’ve never asked you—have you peeled shrimp for anyone else?”

I hesitated, Rachel’s face flickering in my mind. She’d always peeled her own shrimp, never letting me fuss over her. Maybe that was love, too, in its own quiet way.

I shook my head. No. Really, no. Before Rachel, I’d never been in a relationship. In school, I focused on studying; after graduation, I focused on work. So after being set up with Rachel, we naturally started dating. I clumsily learned tricks online to please girls, wanted to give her gifts, wanted to peel shrimp for her. But she smiled and refused me.

“Just having a meal and watching a movie together counts as a holiday, don’t spend too much. It’s okay, I can peel them myself. You work hard too—no need to take special care of me.”

At that time, I thought Rachel was really nice.

Looking back, maybe she was just careful, or maybe she knew I needed to feel useful. Maybe that was her way of loving me, quiet and measured. I watched Natalie devour the shrimp, and wondered if I’d ever really known what love was at all.

Natalie leaned into me, smiling through her tears, but as I watched the city lights flicker outside, I wondered if either of us was really home.